Sunday, August 24th, 2014

Veteran receiver Nate Burleson will have a hard time making the roster after missing the preseason with an injury (Photo: wkyc.com)

DraftBrowns.com Staff Writer: Justin Higdon

The Browns need to make 15 roster moves by this Tuesday to get down to the initial, 75-man limit. That will be followed by another 22 transactions after Thursday’s final preseason game, to bring the roster down to its 53-man, regular season limit. The Browns will almost certainly have two roster exemptions heading into the season, with suspensions to wide receivers Marlon Moore (one game) and Josh Gordon (heaven only knows) looming. They can also make a little bit of room by moving injured players to various reserve lists. With three preseason games in the books, and roles coming into focus, it seemed like the perfect time for a quick roster prediction heading into the Tuesday’s cutdown. Injury designations and “first cuts” represent the moves that will take place by the 4:00 PM Eastern time, August 26th deadline: (more…)

Sunday, August 24th, 2014

Running back Dion Lewis has returned from injury to take hold of the Browns third running back job (Photo: nflspinzone.com)

DraftBrowns.com Staff Writer: Justin Higdon
With the quarterback situation decided for now, the Browns went into their third preseason game looking to establish some continuity on offense, and sort out some roles and roster spots. But with five cornerbacks shelved with injuries for a second straight game, the Browns defense had trouble getting off the field on third downs, and some familiar issues reared their heads on both sides of the ball. The game yielded an ugly final score and plenty of negatives, but still, some positivity rested beneath the surface. Here’s a look at pluses, minuses and the questions that remain with one practice game left before the results start counting. (more…)

Tuesday, August 19th, 2014

Johnny Manziel had a special signal for the Washington bench Monday (Photo: csnwashington.com)

DraftBrowns.com Staff Writer: Justin Higdon
Game Two of the preseason was supposed to decide the Browns quarterback competition, but neither Brian Hoyer, nor rookie Johnny Manziel could convince Head Coach Mike Pettine to finalize his decision; and as of this posting, the Week One starter against Pittsburgh remains up in the air. The most noteworthy thing either quarterback did was when Manziel tossed a middle finger in the direction of the Washington bench, setting off a barrage of hot takes that scorched the internet all day Tuesday. The ashes are almost all swept up now, so here’s a look at what went right, what went wrong, and where a few players stand midway through the preseason. (more…)

Sunday, August 10th, 2014

DraftBrowns.com Staff Writer: Justin Higdon
In the most anticipated preseason game since they returned to the NFL with the 1999 Hall of Fame Game, the Cleveland Browns fell to the Detroit Lions in a very Browns-like fashion. Despite never finding the end zone, the Browns led 12-6 on four Billy Cundiff field goals, only to surrender a late touchdown pass from Lions’ third-stringer Kellen Moore. Cleveland’s own third-string quarterback, Tyler Thigpen, was picked off on a last ditch attempt to lead a comeback, and that was that. A familiar ending for an organization that has struggled to break .500 since the mid-‘90s. Luckily, preseason wins and losses don’t count, but there is no question this is a game several players would like to have back. Here’s a look at the highs and lows from last night, and what to look for heading into next Monday’s game against Washington. (more…)

Friday, August 8th, 2014

The excitement in Cleveland headed into Saturday’s game is centered on the quarterback battle between Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel. Hoyer is the steady journeyman who played well enough in limited action last season to jump start talks on a contract extension, and to be viewed as someone who could steady the ship while the Browns build from the interior out on both sides of the ball. Manziel’s draft hype created a line in the sand that pitted many fans on his side, while others gravitated toward Hoyer. There was no consensus on what Manziel’s NFL fortune would be, and many thought he would be a Jerry Jones gamble in the first round. But the Browns traded up to the 22nd pick to draft Manziel, who appears to be a very good fit for the Kyle Shanahan offense, and entered the rookie into a competition with the steady Hoyer, who had given some Browns fans a glimmer a hope last season.